Abstract
Two reduced scale (1:3) railway wheel/axle assemblies have been tested before and after low cycle fatigue in rotary three point bending. The comparison between the residual stress fields before and after low cycle fatigue tests shows that the high stress zone is shifted towards the mid plane of the assembly, thus indicating that residual stresses resulting from wheel/axle fitting are progressively reduced by cyclic loading. Numerical modelling shows analogue results. A comparison between the two methods is proposed.